Limerick's Willie Casey

By Bennie

Limerick's Willie Casey, the small man with the mallet fists, will probably need sledgehammer fists to see off Cuban great Guillermo Rigondeaux in a daunting challenge for the interim WBA super-bantamweight title in Dublin on March 19.
I say Cuban great: Rigondeaux is unbeaten in just seven outings as a pro, so great seems way too strong an adjective. However, the slick, heavy handed southpaw claimed gold in two Olympics (and an amateur record of 400-12) before defecting to the United States in 2009 where he made up for lost money with a 12-round decision over Panamanian threat Ricardo Cordoba three months ago in Texas to win the interim title. This is his first defence. Rigondeaux, 30, also picked up gold in the world amateur championships in 2001 - in Belfast. Yeah, he's a Cuban great.
Casey, a southpaw himself, came from nowhere to win the European super-bantamweight title with an impressive four-round stoppage of big Irish rival Paul Hyland last year to earn this crack. It took his record to 11-0 (7) so, like the champion, Casey is unbeaten but lacks paid experience. However, the man known as "Big Bang" can undoubtedly fight and trains hard we can expect him to pile into Rigondeaux from the start in an effort to outwork the classier visitor. It is now or never for the 29-year-old home man, a welder who turned pro in 2008 to see how far he could get. Barring cuts, Willie gets as far as the full 12 rounds but the decision then goes Rigondeaux's way. After all, if the two met as amateurs, you would clearly go for Rigondeaux.
On the same night, by the way, Belfast's Brian Magee challenges Lucian Bute for the IBF super-middleweight title in Montreal in another all-southpaw battle.

Life is Traveled Only Once...

By Donna Hansen

Life is traveled only once..Today's moment becomes tomorrow's memory..Enjoy every moment; good, bad, happy, or sad;because the gift of life is LIFE itself....to all my friends today... laugh a little louder, smile a little larger, dream a little further, love a little extra and live a little happier!